Online Criminal Justice Degree and Career FAQ

Submitted by Samuel Homes on Tuesday, Jul 30th, 2013

What is online criminal justice degree?

An online criminal justice degree is offered online by some colleges that involves the criminal justice, law, policing, social policy, and so on. Would you like to be part of those people who enforce the law and provide safety to their community and organization? As they say, protecting a community is more than a career; it is a calling. Online CJ degree programs provide an avenue for those who want to achieve their dreams in criminal justice career. What is required of you, more than anything else, is the desire to excel in the criminal justice and provide services to the community rather than taking it as just any other means of earning money.

What does criminal justice entail?

Many CJ degree programs comprise of such subjects as criminology, social policy, policing, criminal evidence and procedure, law, juvenile delinquency, alternatives to incarcerations, and criminal justice reporting, among others. Some schools refer to criminal justice as justice studies or administrative justices, but they cover the same thing. Hence, what is important is for you to graduate with a credible online degree.

What is criminal justice degree graduates’ most likely place of work?

Online criminal justice degree can open for you many doors in the criminal justice career. Criminal justice field is a wide field ranging from careers in the private sector to federal and local government. Most of those who graduate with an online criminal justice degree after following CJ degree programs begin their careers in criminal law, law enforcement agencies, social work, and corrections. For instance, they may work as INS agents, criminologists, police officers, detectives, corporate security officers, scene of crime investigators, CIA agents, ATF agents, corrections officer, Sheriffs, marshals, and so on. What is important is for you to identify the area you want to work in and build your career around there.

What is the median salary for those working in criminal justice field?

The median salaries are not uniform across the criminal justice field. This is because different jobs demand different responsibilities, and skills. Some jobs such as crime investigators are also risky; therefore, you expect them to have higher salary scale in those jobs than you would be in low risk jobs. Nonetheless, the salary scales range between $25,000 and $ 80,000, depending on the kind of job you are doing. If you are passionate about studying one of the CJ degree programs, there are many online study opportunities available for you. Online degree is the best alternative for those who are busy, or want to start from long distances.